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Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen are anticipated to supply fireworks after they combat in a fundamental occasion showdown. Vera’s agent, Iridium Sports Agency, first reported the information on Friday. The bout is ready for Feb. 18 and can headline a UFC Fight Night from contained in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Ranked No. 4 and No. 5 within the bantamweight division, respectively, Vera and Sandhagen are harmful quantity strikers with cardio and submission abilities. Not content material with involving the judges, Vera and Sanhagen have a mixed ending charge of 74%.
Vera (20-7-1) is starting to place the items collectively at a excessive stage. Riding a four-fight win streak, Vera knocked out former UFC champions Dominick Cruz — a KO of the Year candidate — and Frankie Edgar. A contemporary face within the title image, a win over Sandhagen ought to put “Chito” on the shortlist of title challengers with retired double-champion Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley. Merab Dvalishvili can also be within the combine, however his profitable efforts in opposition to Jose Aldo in August had been deemed boring and uninspired by UFC president Dana White.
Sandhagen (15-4) was labeled by analysts and followers as a future world champion however has struggled on the very highest stage. He snapped a two-fight skid in September, slicing up Song Yadong for a fourth-round TKO. Highlight-reel knockouts of Edgar and Marlon Moraes sit on one finish of the dimensions and losses to Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Aljamain Sterling sit on the opposite. Should somebody unseat Sterling as champion, it might present a shorter route for Sandhagen to the world title.
